There's nothing heroic about being overwhelmed. In a world where competition is fiercer than ever, the best of the best will win by protecting their ability to perform and deliver peak results, and that means avoiding burnout. This three-part framework can decrease stress while increasing productivity, creativity, and free time.
Full article published on Toptal
Certain positive traits unite top performers across all industries. They are often team players with can-do attitudes and a love for their profession which predisposes them to put in more time and outpace their lower-performing counterparts.
However, these traits carry a risk. In a world where opportunities abound, high performers often risk taking on too much. Collaborative by nature, they tend to prioritize the team over themselves, and their proclivity to work can lead to an unhealthy series of long days, all-nighters, and working weekends. Compounding the issue, some workplace cultures—whether explicitly or implicitly—are predisposed to overwork, adopting a 996 work style: 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week.
The final destination—perhaps all too familiar to those reading this—is a state of utter exhaustion known as burnout.
Burnout is technically defined as “A psychological state of physical and emotional exhaustion thought to be a stress reaction to a reduced ability to meet the demands of one’s occupation.” While there are many potential causes of burnout, this version—brought on by prolonged periods of overwork—is especially difficult for high performers to manage because it arises from the very same traits that help them succeed to begin with.
Burnout is not just a risk to the individual, but also to the teams they support. This risk is amplified in a remote environment, where it’s easier to overwork and harder to gauge the well being of teammates.
To help combat this, follow a system for pausing in the midst of overwhelm, recalibrating, and getting back on track.
Psychology - Psychology is the foundation upon which all else is built, and the following principles will mean little if one still considers overwhelm heroic. By adopting the mindset that overcoming burnout is part of professional responsibility, stakeholders put themselves in a position to prioritize properly and ensure longevity for themselves and their organizations.
Priority - One way to identify priorities is to use a line of self-questioning. The following can be used to help thin an inflated to-do list and reestablish the main thing.
If this was the only thing I completed today, would I be satisfied with my day’s work?
Is this task still important, or has the situation changed?
Am I really the only person who can or should be doing this?
Which of these items, if accomplished, will save me time next week? Next month?
Is this the most important thing right now? Or am I using it to avoid something else?
Positive Constraints - The more time you have to do something, the more time it will take. By forcibly limiting the time available for work, we can ensure our work gets done quickly, avoiding the long days, all-nighters, and working weekends which lead to burnout.
Increased workloads to keep up with customer demand and marketplace hyper-competitiveness. Technology that enabled instant global communication.
Designing an Effective Workplace Burnout Response Program - full article here
More recently in 2019, the World Health Organization classified Burnout as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:
feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;
increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and
reduced professional efficacy.
As a result, many of us are always on and are on constant stand-by. Habitually solving problem after problem, and slowly suppressing our emotions in the name of productivity. The nature to constantly keep up impacted the workplace, even among our best intentions to create healthy workplace environments.
In response, workplaces with a strong cultural focus on being People-first began putting in preventative workplace measures to avoid burnout:
EAP programs that included mental health support
Enterprise Resource Groups, Wellness Portals
Mindfulness, Resilience and Mental Fitness Training
Manager Sensitivity and Psychological Safety Training
Mental Health First Aid training
Mental Health / Wellness Awareness Campaigns
Subsidized Wellness Programs: Yoga, Meditation, Workouts, Nutrition, Financial
Mindfulness Apps
Employee experience events
Talks and Lunch and Learns
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